Remembering the war poet Wilfred Owen

 

I blogged about South Africa's connection to the 2 minute silence held on Armistice day / Remembrance Sunday. It is accepted that it was initiated by Sir Percy FitzPatrick after the loss of his son. 

Another connection is that of John Mccrae who penned the moving poem, In Flanders Fields. 

He served as a medic in the Boer War of 1899-1902 in South Africa. One of the many famous names to have served for the British side - Churchill, Gandhi, Kipling, Conan Doyle, Kitchener, Chamberlain, and foreign supporters of the Boers included Count Zeppelin, Cornelius van Gogh (brother of Vincent), Piet Modrian's younger brother Frederik etc.

A war poet I have come to appreciate is Wilfred Owen because he is Shropshire born & commemorated in our county. His poetry is raw,  war is not celebrated like some other WW1 war poets speaking of 'the glorious dead' ethos of Robert Brooke etc. Owen's 'Anthem for Doomed Youth' says it as it was.

Wilfred Owen was born in 1893 in Oswestry, educated in Shrewsbury where he lived & studied afterwards. He enlisted in October 1915 & was sent out to France.  In 1917, he was injured by a trench mortar shell & treated in Edinburgh for injuries & for shell shock too. It was there that he met & was befriended by the celebrated war poet Siegfried Sassoon who read Owen's poems & encouraged him to write them down. 

Owen returned to the Western Front line in October 1918, he was killed on 4th November 1918, a week before the Armistice that ended the terrible war. His story is well documented, and his mother received the telegram of his death on Armistice day as the bells were ringing out over Shrewsbury. What feelings of despair she must have had with the war ending & him not coming back. 

I have studied his poetry with my older students & it does not try to gloss over the reality of war. 

This week, with Remembrance Sunday & Armistice Day just past, I visited our county town of Shrewsbury & stopped by The Abbey to view their magnificent poppy display. 

In the entrance to The Abbey, a board remembers the Shrewsbury fallen, amongst them Wilfred Owen, his name where the red poppy is on the right. 

I did not know of the memorial in the Abbey grounds but was directed there by Abbey helpers. It is appropriate that it shows how brief his life was, some of his words on the memorial in a setting he would have known as he taught at the nearby school. 

The futility of war brought in to focus again each year; the county & country making sure they are never forgotten. 

Thank you for stopping by & reading this account. Have you read any of his poetry or do you find war poetry a bit dark? 

Dee ⛪️🔔📚📓📖

Autumn beauty along the canals ...

Our county is blessed with the Shropshire Union Canal that gently crosses it at various points. It is one of my favourite pastimes to wander along these often hidden spaces that wind through some deep cuttings before passing houses, fields with animals or towns on their watery way. 

With the most beautiful Autumn colours deepening this year, I suggested a walk along a strip I have visited many times.

Tyrley Locks is a pretty walk along the canals where 5 locks drop or raise boats on their journey. 

What makes this walk special is the deep cutting with interesting rocks & soil that is exposed by digging out the canal. It was muddy underfoot because of some recent rain but our sturdy walking boots did well. 

The autumn colours did not disappoint with a thick carpet of leaves underfoot & more falling gently all the time on our walk. There is a sense of calm, of peace, of clearing your mind when out in nature. This is important time for me, to just be ...  

A very elegant grey heron appeared several times along the canals, staying on the side furthest from us while being cautious & curious. 

A passing canalboat was glad of the offer of help with the final lock so hubby helped with the lock gates to lower the boat on its way to Nantwich. 

We enjoyed a chat with the boating couple & their gorgeous dog. 

We had spent a week on a canal boat a few years ago with Ms M & her family so had an idea how to work the gates etc. 

On returning to the canal bridge at the basin by the top lock, I noticed a cottage for sale. However, the voice of reason did not join in my enthusiasm. 

I wonder what it would be like living right next to a canal & having a prime seat on canal life? 

Would it be cold in winter & busy in summer when boat hire is at its peak or would the fascination be the key to enjoying it? 

I won't know but it is nice to think about it. 

Thank you for stopping by, it is always appreciated.

Dee ⛴️🪾🌳🍁🍂

Murder before Evensong in Worfield

 A new TV production called 'Murder before Evensong'  was filmed locally in Shropshire & an unexpected free morning made us decide to head out to the village again. 

I have been watching it because I recognise so many of the locations locally like the boathouse at nearby Dudmaston Hall, the timbered buildings of Worfield, also Chillington Hall. 

I have been previously to Worfield, it is just a tiny village that retains its charm through the black & white buildings & a church that towers over it. 

An unexpected free morning saw us head out on my suggestion. We parked up to walk the street that features in the filming. It is chocolate box pretty, the houses all well maintained & it looks like a filmset. There are several listed buildings in the village.  

We had not previously visited St Peter's church because we visited on a Sunday when a service was in progress so today we took full advantage to do so. 

The church steeple towers over the church, a landmark as you drive in. The ancient yew trees in an avenue in the church yard. 

The church features in all the episodes & the first murder was committed in there in the series. 

What a fantastic space - much bigger than it appears from outside, a haven of calm (incongruous with its tv fame) .

I always light a candle & lit two today as a friend needs a prayer for her hubby in America who is ill. It is those quiet moments in churches that connect you again. This side chapel is St Nicholas - I am rather partial to that name as it was one of my late Father's names. 

I am fascinated by the history in these places - people remembered across the centuries, tombstones in the aisle floor where they are buried underneath, two magnificent memorials to the side & more. 

It has a leper window or hagioscope that is now on an inside wall - it would have been on the outside wall previously so lepers could follow the service without being a danger to others. 

The incumbent priests husband popped in & what a fascinating long chat we had. We got some history as well as an update on the filming. 

The font used in the production was a replica of the one seen, it was placed in the middle aisle where the first murder takes place. 

Spoiler alert - there is no crypt under the font!  

The font near the door was replicated & placed over this grid in the aisle, which supposedly had a crypt under it. 

The production team spent several weeks in the village & they 'might' be back.  

The village shop & pub also feature regularly & it is interesting to stroll along a 'real' film set. 

Viewing figures drive this but apparently the series has been well received to we can but hope. 

We asked about some of the memorials & were directed outside & then to the higher graves high above the church in the pretty elevated woods. 

Apparently this high area was used for the plague burials centuries ago - there is no marker as there was to the plague pits I saw at Ross-on-Wye. The reality was that most villages had plague pits & the exact location of many of them is lost in time. 

Apparently, the large yew tree by the gate is the place where infant death babies of unwed mothers were buried in times past; in the church grounds but not close to the church as social norms were at the time.

A fascinating morning enjoying our Shropshire villages & the history of them, as well as the modern influence of TV series which helps to preserve churches as the production money all helps. 

I hope you have enjoyed this morning wander with me, thank you for stopping by, 

Dee ⛪️🔔📽️🎬

Folklore, customs & beliefs in ancient places ...

Old buildings here often have various markings on them. Some are on the outside stones - a makers mark of the stone carver or inside on the timbers, a sort of signature of the mason.  I have a general understanding of them from visits to many churches & historic places here. 

This past week,  I joined a podcast chat by two people I have followed on Instagram  because they look at the folklore of the many customs we unconsciously participate in without a thought to the origins, particularly how marks were supposed to protect people & places from witches & malevolent forces.

The talk was held in the evening at a local English Heritage property that I often take visitors to - Boscobel House.

I blogged about its connection to King Charles II when he was hidden there after the Battle of Worcester & that of the nearby White Ladies Priory. 

It is the first time the house has been opened to an evening event & we arrived keen to see it in a different light.  It is a striking black & white building which looks on to a field where the Royal Oak is (where King Charles II spent a night in the oak tree, hiding from Cromwells men.) 

We wandered around & joined our small group of about 20 people in the stables tearoom for hot chocolate & a chat before heading to the house. 

  

The parlour is accessed by a side door, crossing a small room, under the inside balcony, up some stairs & into quite a dark room, even in the day time. The fireplace is black slate with carved images of the history of the house, while the dark panelling & magnificent sideboard hold their own in the space.

What a fascinating evening with two very knowledgeable ladies speaking about the history of witches who were often just women with special skills of herbs, of healing in a time of home medicine & of women who were deemed a threat for whatever reason. They became targets with terrible consequences as they were burned at the stake, drowned, hung etc. 

The famous witch trial of Pendle near Lancaster is well known but it is just one of many such trials at that time. The Salem witch trials in America are notorious too. 

This information plaque is in The Quarry in our county town of Shrewsbury & tells the story of Mrs Foxall burned at the stake for poisoning her husband in 1647. (Not a great photo I took a few years ago ...)

She was burned at the stake on 23 December 1647.

Was it a deliberate poisoning, accidental, was he ill prior to the meals, who made the claim etc 

Can you imagine - burned at the stake? 

Homes often had protective marks put on entrances & near chimneys to prevent malevolent spirits entering - witches marks. 

Boscobel house has 'burn marks' above an entrance - these marks were deliberately made to protect the house against fires. The same upstairs rooms has a M mark to (Mary) to protect against ill fortune & spirits.  

I have been in those rooms several times previously but not understood what they were, so thanks to the EH curator who took us up & pointed them out. 

Many of our modern day customs stem from these folklore beliefs - bodies leaving a house feet first after death so the spirit is confused & won't return. In previous times coffins were taken on corpse roads across rivers, in an even path so the spirits did not know how to return etc on the way to the church for burial. The coffin could not just be put down anywhere when the bearers were tired because it could 'ground' the spirit to that place so consecrated coffin stones were used en route to rest the coffin on.  

This is a lych gate I photographed recently at St Andrew's Church, Hope Bowdler in Shropshire 

The history of lych gates at churches makes sense too. They are a covered porch like structure over a gate at the entrance to churches.  I have passed through dozens of them but they were where coffins were placed prior to funerals, sometimes overnight with someone staying to watch over the coffin for its safety. This space under the cover often had seating on either side where the coffin was placed.  It is where the priest would conduct the first burial ceremony from before moving in to the church. 

Lychgates serve to differentiate consecrated and unconsecrated space, and serve as a liminal space. Stone lychgates may create an increased aural awareness of the transition from one space to another by creating a tangible contrast between sounds inside and outside. In England, there was a folk belief that the spirit of the last person buried stands watch at the gate until the next is buried, leading to funeral fights at the entrance to decide which corpse should be buried first.

Lych is the ancient Saxon word for corpse & then the history of the various lych or knell bells came in to the discussion. Church bells were rang to signal that someone in the parish was close to death, different number for men, women or children & it was a harbinger of bad news to follow.  Some funerals still have a funeral bell toll (For Whom the Bell Tolls ... )  

A fascinating evening of folklore, much that is still in our customs & traditions today. 

Boscobel House was splendid lit up at night & it was a great space to hold this talk with the dark countryside all around the house & the night sounds filtering in. 

I hope you have enjoyed the history too; do you have any of these observances that supposedly ward off evil or protect your home?  Tell all & thank  you for stopping by, 

Dee ⛪️🙏

Reverse appliqué update

 I recently shared how I experimented with Reverse appliqué. 

It was a technique I had not tried previously & I learned how the technique works but it also highlighted the pitfalls I needed to be aware of in the choice of the fabrics. I used 4 linen colours for mine, arranging them how I wanted the layers to be.  

The link explains the technique I used …

I love working with linen fabric but the weave was too loose to hold the shape without bits coming off. 

I had to reinforce the outline with a row of machine stitching to give it a firm outline. 

However, I liked the row of stitching as it held the cut out together. 

I applique was an outline of the angels I had photographed in Bran castle in Transylvania because it was an interesting take on angel wings. 

The juxtaposition of the angel wings & the dark history of Dracula appeals to me because it was such a fascinating place & country. 

Because the reverse applique panel is just mine, I experimented by adding an outline of the castle in pale threads alongside the angels. 

It is subtle with pale red stitching for the roof, the building outline in pale stitching so it did not distract from the applique but added to it, giving it context in some way. 

The rocky base had only a few stitches to balance the heavier stitching at the top. 

I had wanted to try this edging technique of using a larger length of backing fabric which is stitched on the fabric edge, then the fabric is trimmed to a set length all the way around. 

The next step is for the outer fabric to be folded to the panel edge, ironed flat then folded on to the panel to be top stitched. 

This is the cut fabric folded in half to the edge of the panel, the next step is to fold it on to the panel with this edge enclosed. 

I ironed the fabric at each stage & used sewing clips to hold it in place for stitching. 

I did a small whip stitch across the edging & panel to secure them. 

The whip stitch is straight across on the front, angled at the back. 

On the next one I will mitre the corner fabric but this is a neat finish to a panel. 

Several techniques practiced, lessons noted for next time & a finished item reminding me of a fantastic visit to Transylvania. 

Any hints for the mitres corners are welcome please. I really need to conquer that technique so it comes naturally. 

Thank you for stopping by, it is appreciated. 

Dee 🧵📍🪡🏰🏯

A fortified house / castle in our Shropshire countryside

On a free midweek day,  I realised that I had not visited the lovely Stokesay castle / fortified manor house for some years. It is set in beautiful Shropshire countryside & it is a  lovely drive out to it. Hubby had not visit it in about 15 years, I was there several times in that time, so he was keen to revisit. 

It sits in a small group with the church to the side & then the view of the distinct yellow timbered gatehouse with the castle to the side of it. 

The castle is actually a fortified manor house with a moat around it & the interesting jutting out parts with leaded windows.  

Stokesay one of the finest fortified manor houses in England. This is a plan of the buildings from Wikipedia . The church is to the fight of G. 

You enter the enclave of buildings through the timbered yellow gatehouse, then in to a large enclosed space with the castle in front of you. The great hall has a massive wooden door that would have kept it safer. The windows in the hall & castle side have latticed wooden inserts & the others are closed off with substantial shutters.  The roof has massive wooden beams that are about 700 years old. 

This photo shows the views both ways with the steep wooden stairs of the north tower leading to the jutting out part, the other side leading to the South Tower buildings with blacksmith below etc. 

A steep wooden stairway leads to the jutting out part overlooking the church - generous room with views to the countryside too. The massive fireplace was needed to keep the chill at bay in these places as the wind whistled through any gaps in the shutters & doors. 

People were hardy in those times - they had to be. 

Back downstairs in the hall & on the opposite side is another set of stairs - just a little rise to a series of rooms to that side. The first one, the Solar block has another generous fireplace & it has two wooden doors to either side. In times past, this room was panelled. However, these two little wooden doors open to give a view of the hall below. 

I could see other visitors in the hall below & because it was half way up the wall, I could catch snatches of conversations too. I'm sure the two windows were in great demand to know what was happening in other parts of the house, to see visitors enter & to overhear news or gossip.  

These quirks are always fascinating as they give us a window in to life as it was. 

The South Tower behind this room had a little room then a room of stone, set to the side with two stone windows & this was a loo in times past; a loo with a view & a chilly one at that as the wind could blow from two sides. 

More stairs led to some more rooms then a steep, narrow set of stone stairs led up on to the roof area of the castle side with great views over the complex of buildings, of the church & the countryside. Essential to protect the fortified house. 

The rooms at the bottom of the castle was the space used by a blacksmith who would have been essential to provide all the metal work like hinges, catches, door fastenings & for shoeing the horses etc. 

We popped in to the church on our way out - the low ceiling in the entrance probably made it feel quite cosy & it would have been well used by the residents of the adjoining house / castle. I always light a candle & offer up a prayer when I visit churches, it is those quiet moments of reflection. 

I'm glad we seized the moment to revisit & to enjoy the countryside as the autumn colours set in. This is a great place to view the countryside from with its many openings in all directions, some shuttered, many not. 

There are notices about the South Tower for the bats that roost in the castle where it is dry & warm. We did not see any, but there is evidence of the mud swallow nests in the rafters. 

I hope you have found it as fascinating as I did, thank you for stopping by. It is always appreciated. 

Dee